Quarterback Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were dealt a demoralizing Week 9 loss to the New Orleans Saints on "Monday Night Football."
And that was just the beginning of a rough week. The Buccaneers then were impacted by Tropical Storm Eta, and last but certainly not least, had their travel to Carolina shuffled around after mechanical issues caused them to wait five hours on the tarmac.
None of it impacted their on-field performance, though. Brady threw three touchdowns and running back Ronald Jones ran for nearly 200 yards to help lead the Buccaneers to a 46-23 win against the Carolina Panthers.
"Yeah, it was a lot of mental toughness from the guys this week," Brady told reporters after the game, per the team. "... We were just focused on coming out and doing a better job and play better than we played last week, obviously. It’s in there. We’ve just got to do it consistently, continue to make plays, run the ball like we ran it today -- the line did a great job -- and keep getting the ball to the guys who can make plays with it. There were a lot of guys spreading it around quite a bit today. We’re just going to have to keep improving (and) get better."
It's not the first time this season the Buccaneers have responded in a big way, either. Tampa Bay has lost three games this season and following each defeat not only has won, but scored 31-plus points in the process.
"Any time you lose it sucks -- for you, for your coaches, for your families, for your friends (and) for everyone who follows you," Brady said. "But every year, you’ve got the same amount of teams in the NFL that win and lose. One team wins and one team loses. When you lose, you’ve got to figure out how to get back on track. So, it’s no excuses. This team hasn’t made any excuses all year. We just get to work and go back there and try to do better."
Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians noted how the leadership in the locker room was a big reason why the team was able to get back in the win column. Arians also praised for the 43-year-old quarterback, specifically, for his performance Sunday.
"It was outstanding. When they were blitzing he threw it out on his check downs, those quick throws outside are kind of audibles after the ball is snapped," Arians told reporters, per the team. "He did play really, really well. He knows he left a couple out there too, some balls that we had AB (Antonio Brown) wide open, and Mike (Evans) and Gronk (Rob Gronkowski). The wind was really tricky. I know Tom is as critical of himself as I am, but he played fantastic."
The 7-3 Buccaneers will return to the field Week 11 when they face the Los Angeles Rams on "Monday Night Football."
